Water absorption

[SMARTY]

Is there an optimum water temperature to get maximum absorbtion into the body through the gut?

Is cold water absorbed faster or slower than warm water?

thanks in anticipation

 

[The Big Lebowski]

I guess the closer the water temp is to your body at the time, the less work it has to eather cool it down, or heat it up as you absorb it... i think its more about hydration levels than temps though.

might be wrong!

have a look at the third paragraph on this.

http://www.wellnesstips.ca/when to drink.htm

hth, TBL.

 

[Bushwhacker]

The viscosity of water decreases the hotter it gets and the volume expands.
Don't know about absorption into the gut though.

 

[ex-member Raikey]

I suppose in a survival sense, the water has to be heated to body temp, by the body.

this uses energy, (calories) and so the efficiency of the act is lessened if drinking cold water.

i,m intrigued, why would you need to get a quicker hydration?, in what situation?

if an emercency hydration method is needed then its the old rule of sugar and salt in the water.

i,m interested now tho....

 

[leon-1]

i,m intrigued, why would you need to get a quicker hydration?, in what situation?

Take a look at SMARTY's location. He's been working in the UAE for a while now.

This is a difficult one Chris and I am sure that no matter which way you go "Your Damned if You do or Your Damned If you Don't".

In the end it all comes down to human homeostasis, which involves a load of factors.

I know that when i drink warm water it seems to make me urinate more, but this is tempered by the fact that the reason the water is warm is that it's a hot day. The kidneys are trying to keep a balance in our blood streams of all the various elements that form blood. If the concentration becomes too high as we become dehydrated it means that the kidneys will use an amount to rehydrate us and an amount to expel build ups of harmful elements.

As to the temperature the only thing I can say is that waters ability to convey / carry gasses is diminished by higher temperatures, at the same time if the body has to heat it so that it can be metabolised easier your going to lose out.

Best bet I would have thought is going to be tepid water or water at room temperature. You get water that metabolises quicker with the balance that it still carries gases well. When dehydrated I think the osmosis effect actually works faster as the thinner water is pretty much sucked into the thicker fluids to rehydrate.

 

[ANDYRAF]

Going on my experience in Saudi, I noticed that if you drank very cold water it would sit in your stomach and slosh around for a while, where as if it was just slightly less than ambient temperature you would feel that it had been absorbed quickly. Just my impression I could have been mistaken.

Andy

 

[Andy BB]

and not forgetting that the quickest way to rehydrate a body is via enema, not the mouth...........

 

[ex-member Raikey]

and not forgetting that the quickest way to rehydrate a body is via enema, not the mouth...........

Doesnt go down too well on a crowded train tho!!

*whips out a can of Carling and begins to unbutton jeans*

 

[Ray Britton]

Andy BB

Although you are correct, and doing it this way means you can take on water that is not potable, it is called 'rectal infusion' and not an enema.
If you think about it, having an enema would be defeating the object, and would dehydrate you (plus make you look a bit kinky lol).
All kinds of water can be taken on board with rectal infusion, as to be honest, its not going to a particularly clean area of the body, so crystal clear is not needed.

I remember watching a special forces soldier demonstrate rectal infusion with a warm cup of tea. About one second after the cold tea entered his bowel, he screamed out 'bloody hell that's vile'

We asked if it was burning, and he replied......... 'There's no bloody sugar in it!!'


OK the last bit was made up, but I couldn't resist it lol.

I don't know which temperature would hydrate you the quickest, but depending on how you dehydrated, electrolyte in the water would be a massive help. Water is also at its most dense at 4 degrees C, so at this temp you would end up with more volume of water in you once it warmed up. If you have no precise control of the waters temperature, but can get it warm, adding a mint leaf will also speed up water absorption.
One last thing on rectal infusion (true this time), is that red wines will burn your rectum, as can fizzy drinks.

 

[torc]

I'd say that the temp. of the water does not make a difference to absorption rates, it's just that the presence of a mass of cold water in your stomach is more noticeable until it reaches your body temperature. Drinking too much hot fluids in a hot climate could screw up your body's ability to maintain proper core temp. though.
Here's an interesting little thing Dr. Browns Cough Bottle International have been working on, http://www.soldiermagazine.co.uk/archives/july10/july10top_gear.htm and
http://contest.techbriefs.com/component/content/article/396 and http://www.militarysystems-tech.com/suppliers/BCB-INTERNATIONAL-LTD/The-Chilly-Water-Cooler/a7/s18/
Happy trails...torc.

 

[The Big Lebowski]

Doesnt go down too well on a crowded train tho!!

*whips out a can of Carling and begins to unbutton jeans*

LoL! incooooming.....

 

[Ray Britton]

Of course, Raikey's choice of Carling for rectal infusion looks a bit amateur in bushcraft terms.

If we were looking to demonstrate our bushcraft prowess on a crowded train, wasn't Heineken always marketed as the 'beer that refreshes the parts other beers cannot reach. lol

 

[Dirk_McStabbins]

Believe it or not, cold water is absorbed faster by your body than water at room temperature or at body temperature. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that water and other drinks be chilled when used for exercise.
Cold Water and Cold Drinks Rehydrate Faster
Research has shown that cold water passes through the stomach faster and is therefore sent to the intestines for quicker absorption. During and after exercise, you want to rapidly replace fluids lost due to sweat, so cold water and cold sports drinks are preferred.
http://walking.about.com/od/fluids/f/coldwatermyth.htm

 

[SMARTY]

Big thanks to all for the helpfull input for my question. The reason I'm asking is the location I'm working is hot and water obtained from natural sources has to be treated, generally by boiling. The water is not chilled by any means. I.m doing some work into the amount of water that can be packed in ejection seats survival packs for a 72 hour survival time. This should allow enough time for natural water sources to be utalizeds and the water made safe. I have to consider heat related injuries as well as sodium flush scenarios

 

[Ray Britton]

SMARTY

Ah, that's easy then lol. As you will already know, water for ejection seats is normally housed in small foil sachets so that they can be opened individually without risk of the whole supply evaporating.
If the seats are to be used purely in the area of the UAE, then compromises could be made. More likely (no details given) they will possibly go over water, so you will still have to have a dingy in the seat pack, which not only lessons the amount of potable water you could store, but also adds the issue of obtaining potable water in a salt water scenario. So, sadly as you will already know, you will not be able to store enough water in the seat pack for 72 hours, given consumption needed in that area, plus the other safety gear competing for the seat pack space. It's a bugger isn't it!

On the other hand, there will be plenty of ex pat contractors around (RAF and BAE...you don't say who you work for) within the UAE, who have been doing this exact job for the last forty years, and already have the answers. you need.

 

[UltimateSurvivor]

The body must burn calories to heat or cool anything that is consumed to internal body temp', wether it be food or drink. The usual Internal body temp being 37 degrees celcius. (98.6 degrees fahrenheit)

It takes on average 3-5 calories to heat 1ml of water to body temp'. If you are in extreme hot or cold climates then the calorie count will rise.

So it is actually more advantageous to drink water that does not feel cold or warm when put onto the back of your hand.

This only applies if you are really conscious of calorie expenditure. The time difference between how quickly the body can absorb fluids of different temps' is not worth mentioning in my opinion as the difference is extremely small.


Regards.

 

[SMARTY]

Ray thanks for the info. Part of the reason I'm doing this is due to the fact that the fast jet packs here are packed for a temperate environment. So those fellas who have been doing this exact job for the last forty years, either aint looked in one, or dont fly themselves and therefore dont care. The customer is to blame as well for not being specific as to their exact requirements. 72 hours is based on the SAR capability here plus plus.
I do have some experience of desert scales of SE and AEA for UK aircraft and this will be a peace time scale.

 

[ged]

It takes on average 3-5 calories to heat 1ml of water to body temp'.

For the avoidance of doubt, when people talk about calories of food they are generally talking about kilocalories of energy. So if you eat 2000 calories of food per day you're taking in 2000 kilocalories of energy.

If your body is losing heat at about 100 Watts (100 Joules per second) then it loses about 360000 Joules (or 360kJ) per hour or (as there are 4.2 kiloJoules per food calorie) 360/4.2 that is about 90 food calories per hour.

Heating water takes the small calories, not the big ones. That is to heat 1 litre of water through ten degrees Celsius takes ten food calories or 42 kiloJoules. Not exactly an enormous load on the human body, even if it's just punched out of a Typhoon.

The time difference between how quickly the body can absorb fluids of different temps' is not worth mentioning in my opinion as the difference is extremely small.

I'd tend to agree, although I do find when I've done hard exercise that I much prefer carbonated water straight out of the 'fridge. It seems to hit the spot better for me, dunno why. The wife is quite the opposite.

I wonder if the survival kit in question contains something like an aluminium foil or metallized plastic sheet to reflect sunlight? I'd think that it could easily repay its weight and bulk over a few sunny days in the UAE. It could collect condensation at night. Might be easy to spot from the air too, if that's what you wanted.

 

[forrestdweller]

sorry if i sidestep a bit: water absorption can be reduced to zero if you have'nt eaten for a while (=your stomach is empty): the water just sits in your tummy and you can drink as much as you like but the body does NOT absorb it. until you puke it out and your kidneys fell like somebody kicked you in there. not very nice!!! believe me, been there and seen other people suffering from it, too! maybe not an issue in central european climate but keep an eye on it in hot and humid (tropical) areas

 

[Ray Britton]

Hi SMARTY.
Thanks for the reply, and I hope you saw my 'lol' in the first sentence, as well as my 'its a bugger' at the end.

I kind of know some of the issues you are having, and although I would tend to agree it was the customers fault for not specifying, you will know full well that they are not really experts in this field...Which is why you and several other 'infidels' are out there lol!

You have not mentioned which mark of seat you are working with (assuming its a MB), or which aircraft. If you have no luck with recent info, then it may be worth popping onto the PPRuNe website (unless you already have), as there will be folks on there, who are working in neighbouring countries, who may have a more appropraite seat equipment fit to refer to.